The hearing for the 115 charges against Manchester City, alleging breaches of financial regulations, commenced a few days ago. Regardless, Manchester City denies all accusations and claims to possess “comprehensive, irrefutable evidence” to support their stance. The Sun has uncovered a dark chapter in City’s history — a severe punishment by the Football Association (FA) for match-fixing in 1904.
In the last game of the 1904/05 season, Aston Villa defeated Manchester City 3-2, dashing City’s hopes for the title. Post-match, Sandy Turnbull had a dispute with Villa player Alex Leake. Investigations revealed that Manchester City player Billy Meredith had offered Leake £10 to let them win. Consequently, the FA banned Meredith from football for a year. When City refused to pay his wages, Meredith decided to retaliate.
Meredith disclosed to the authorities that not only did manager Tom Maley instruct him to bribe Leake but also orchestrated an illegal scheme to pay City players more than the maximum wage of £4 per week. As more details emerged, the club plunged into crisis. Maley received a lifetime ban, some club directors were dismissed, while others were suspended.
The FA fined the club £900 and banned 17 players from competition until New Year’s Day 1907. Manchester City was forced to auction off all its players at the Queen’s Hotel in Manchester.
Will history repeat itself? Unearthing Manchester City’s dark past: Severe FA penalties for match-fixing in the year. Author：Sports UEFA.Please indicate the source when reproduced：https://www.sportsuefa.com/football-world/39998.html
